Click here to view the embedded video. Imagine looking out the window over your morning cup of coffee and seeing a giant orange cloud rising up from your hometown. Pretty terrifying, right? Residents of two towns in northeastern Spain were ordered indoors due to a massive cloud of toxic gas in the air but they are now breathing a bit easier. According to the Associated Press , nearly 40,000 people in the Spanish province of Catalonia were told go indoors and close their windows after an explosion at a warehouse sent an orange cloud of chemical gas into the air over the region. Now, officials in the region have given a “partial all clear for people to leave their homes,” after the cloud dissipated. Read the rest of Locals safe after toxic orange gas cloud dissipates over northern Spain Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: caladonia , chemicals , cloud , explosion , gas , igualada , nitrous , Spain , Spanish , toxic

Comments Off on Torchia is a portable emergency flashlight powered by solar energy

Going off the grid comes with many risks, but you can make the adventure a bit easier and safer with clever alternative-energy gadgets like the Torchia, a solar-powered emergency flashlight. Developed by Turkish design consultancy Designnobis , the Torchia is a lightweight multipurpose tool that folds up to the size of an A3-size paper. The 3.5-watt LED lamp comes with foldable stakes so that it can be conveniently stuck in soft ground while its photovoltaic panels generate energy. The device also comes with batteries to store excess energy and 2 USB outputs. + Designnobis The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “solar energy” , alternative energy , designnobis , emergency flashlight , led lamp , reader submitted content , Solar Power , solar powered lamp , torchia